Yemisi Izuora
Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) Limited, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has attained the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) certification, the first by any refinery on the African continent.
Mr. Richard Omale, Managing Director of 3FM Solutions, a Management Consulting Company whose outfit conducted the QMS assessment, announced the milestone during a town hall meeting of the NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, with the refinery staff, Thursday in Port Harcourt.
Omale, who presented the certification to the GMD said: “PHRC has a lot to gain from sustaining its ISO certification. Apart from belonging to a global movement for improved standards, the certification would provide senior management with an efficient management process and set out areas of responsibility across the organization, among other benefits”.
According to the Consultant, people doing business with the organization would also have the confidence that they are working with a reputable organization that does not only have documented processes and procedures but also pays attention to continual improvement.
Responding, the GMD congratulated staff on the feat even as he charged other NNPC subsidiaries to emulate the refinery by ensuring that they are up-to-date in their respective certifications in line with global standards.
“ISO Certifications don’t last forever. The onus is now on you to redouble your efforts and ensure the sustenance of this certification,” the GMD told elated staff during the meeting.
The impact of PHRC’s latest certification meant that the company had to keep going through various audits by Bureau Veritas (BV) to ensure that its quality management system was reviewed and standardized based on the streamlined process and improvement plans.
The ISO 9001:2015 specifies requirements for a quality management system when an organization needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
It also shows that the organization aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.